5 May 2009

Manchester University Wind Orchestra wins second Gold Award at National Concert Band Festival

The Manchester University Wind Orchestra (or MUWO, that’s moo-whoa, to its players and those in the know) has long been established as one of the North West’s best young wind orchestras.  After celebrating a milestone 10 years in the making in 2006, the band has done everything but rest on its laurels.  Edward Appleyard takes just a small glimpse in to the past epic year in the life of MUWO…

Every September Manchester is hit by a shock wave of over 10,000 new undergraduates of which so many have left behind much loved music centre run ensembles.  Desperate to find somewhere to have a good blow, MUWO opens its arms with its no-audition entrance policy.  As long as they can play to around Grade 6 standard, chances are they’ll meet a bunch of people they’ll stick to throughout their degrees and beyond.  In fact, some of the bands players are original undergraduate musicians from when the band first started in 1996.  Fresh talent is therefore plentiful and something the band thrives on to keep its edge.

In November new players are obviously well settled as MUWO takes its biennial plunge into the world of NCBF, kicking off with the regional rounds.  Safe in the knowledge that even if they do really badly they’ll still come off with a ‘Merit Award’ (you can’t get any lower) they went in all guns blazing performing music that the band does best, Nigel Hess’ East Coast Pictures.  Their hard work pulled off and they left the regionals having been awarded Gold for their efforts, and the opportunity to go on to Cardiff and appear in the National Festival Finals.  More of that to come…

Next up, and barely catching breath from the NCBF regionals, is the first in their annual concert series at their home venue – The Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama at The University of Manchester.  A truly inspirational concert saw Tom Lee, a pianist studying with Murray McLachlan at Chetham’s School of Music and only 18 years of age, play Edward Gregson’s Concerto for Piano and Wind alongside the wind orchestra.  Outside of music conservatoires it’s rare to see repertoire of this technical ability being performed, and musical director Philip Robinson, Tom and the band pulled off a complete triumph.  Not only that but the rest of the concert was no less taxing on the band – physically, mentally and technically – and what a fantastic concert it was.  To top it all, the band played to a packed audience, a constant in recent times for the band and some of the best attended concerts at the Martin Harris Centre.

March saw the next instalment in the annual concert season and was no less of a stunt to pull off.  Call in Martin Ellerby (one of the bands all-time favourite composers), a Clarinet concerto featuring special guest clarinettist Linda Merrick, and a salute to John McCabe to boot!  The latter was in celebration of John McCabe’s 70th birthday, who was in attendance on the night and hopefully enjoyed the performance of his work Canyons as much as the rest of the audience did.  Linda Merrick’s performance of Ellerby’s Clarinet Concerto was no less than what you’d expect from the Vice Principal of the RNCM, an utter delight to hear and she obviously really enjoyed playing with the band.  Other Ellerby works included Paris Sketches, and Meditations, and there was also a peppering of Percy Grainger to kick off the concert.

University Easter holidays are generally known for revision, though more likely time will be used having that all important first-pint-of-the-year-when-you-can-sit-outside-in-the-sun.  You’d be forgiven therefore for thinking that a tour would be out of the question.  However, never a band to just go with the grain, MUWO went south to the Dorset countryside and landed itself in Bournemouth on what will be the bands seventh tour.  Across four days, they performed at both Canford School and The Godolphin School, where they also led pupils there in masterclasses.

Following on from their stay in Bournemouth, the band went on to the NCBF National Finals at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, where they deservedly took home to Manchester another Gold award – a fantastic way to end a tour for a fantastic band.

Much of the bands success is down to its musical director Philip Robinson, who’s carefully honed the band into what it is today, though he makes it look effortless.  His knowledge of wind ensemble repertoire is vast, and MUWO does him every credit.  Though he’d always say it was down to the band, who, besides working together weekly to make one of the best wind ensembles around, are also a great and close social group and their all inclusive approach makes MUWO very special indeed.

To see MUWO for yourself, you can keep up-to-date with their Manchester events on the Martin Harris Centre website (www.manchester.ac.uk/martinharriscentre) and also through the Manchester University Music Society (www.mumusicsociety.co.uk) without whom the band wouldn’t exist.  The band keeps going from strength to strength – here’s hoping that next years performance calendar is no less exciting.

3 April 2007

Manchester University Wind Orchestra takes home Gold Award from National Concert Band Festival final

Celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, Manchester University Wind Orchestra (MUWO) could not have asked for a better confirmation of the band’s skill, determination and charisma than a Gold Award in the Open Wind Band category at the annual National Concert Band Festival, held at The Sage Gateshead on Saturday 31 March.

The orchestra was invited to the National Concert Band Festival final after receiving a gold award at the regional heats in November.  Having been invited to the final five times before, the band was aware of the high standard of playing, and until now had only received Silver Awards at the finals.

Musical Director Philip Robinson led the band through a difficult and engaging programme.  In their 25-minute slot they performed two pieces: Ernest Tomlinson’s Suite of English Folk-Dances, one of the ensemble’s favourites, and a fun 5-minute piece by Percy Grainger, Children’s March.  Philip commented on receiving the award:
“This Gold Award is a great tribute to the time and energy that the players have put into this wind orchestra over the past 10 years.  The band is in a better position now than it has ever been and it’s an extremely exciting time for all of us.  I truly could not be more thrilled with this award and what it means to us.”

Simone Rebello and Geoffrey Brand, adjudicators of the NCBF awards, said that the playing this year had been truly fantastic, and that they wished that some of the younger bands who had played earlier in the day could have stayed on to hear such outstanding playing from all the bands in the category.  Keith Allen, director of NCBF, described it as a “unique occasion”.

MUWO’s success at the National Concert Band Festival follows a fantastic season so far.  On Saturday 9 December, MUWO along with some of its past players from the last 10 years, sold out the Haden Freeman Concert Hall at the Royal Northern College of Music in a 10th Anniversary Gala Concert.  They were joined by Stockport Grammar School Wind Orchestra, Stockport Youth Wind Orchestra, and wind players from Warrington Youth Orchestra for an incredible large-scale occasion.

For further information, interviews or press tickets to future events, please contact William Carey (MUWO Manager) on 0161 275 3299 or email william.carey@manchester.ac.uk

Editor’s Notes

Concerts Coming Up

22 APRIL          Gala Celebration of Wind Music at University of Sheffield
                           A joint concert between MUWO, The University of Sheffield Wind Orchestra and The University of Leeds Wind Orchestra.

6 JUNE             Annual concert at the Cosmo Rodewald Concert Hall as part of the Music Society’s end of year Estival Festival.

30 JUNE           Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama – BASBWE International Wind Festival 2007.